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Simply Cinema is simplified cinematography for the budget minded couple.

Gold & Black Simple Classic McCormick Ranch Golf Club Wedding

Carley and Bryan are ridiculously perfect together! We spent the entire time laughing and giggling the day away as we captured their Arizona Wedding at McCormick Ranch Golf Club. Their classic yet simple black and gold wedding was absolutely stunning. Their wedding party consisted of their siblings and close friend Adam, who was also their officiant. It is always so personal when you have a close friend or family member officiate your wedding. The stories, yet sometimes embarrassing, always make for a personalized and entertaining ceremony! The bridesmaids were dressed in floor length black dresses with a stunning laced deep-v cut out that perfectly accented Carley’s dress. The men were dressed in classy black and white tuxes with simple black bow ties. The whole day was perfect and you can read more about them and their story below as well as catch a glimpse into their day through their feature film!

The Couple, Proposal, & Wedding:

How They Met:

Bryan told us the story so well, so we can’t help but share it through his words: We met through “a simple match.com message. I poked fun at the fact that the Seahawks beat the Packers in the NFC championship the year before, knowing full and well the game happened to be a sore subject for Packers fans after a dramatic comeback loss. She responded with a witty response back and we made a first date at sushi.”

The Proposal:

This has to be the most entertaining proposal story we have featured, but we love it! We feel like this is totally Bryan and Carley’s personalities. It was so fun to hear about it through the eyes of Bryan! (Yes, it’s a little lengthy but trust us.. it’s worth the read!)

Bryan had the plan of hiking Camelback mountain and proposing at the top while his brother Mychal would hide out to take a picture while he proposed. Carley specifically said she wanted a picture of the proposal. This task was going to be tough because Bryan had to totally surprise her since they bought her engagement ring together!

He told Carley a few days earlier of their plan to hike on Saturday morning. Carly responded with a very skeptical, “we’ll see”. That Saturday morning Carley rolls over in bed and immediately says sternly, “I don’t want to hike”. Bryan started to panic inside. He sent a text to his brother that the whole plan was getting ruined, then tells him, “I’m going to guilt trip her to get her to go.” Carley was already 100% opposed to going, so Bryan started saying how disappointed he was because he was really looking forward to it. Carly responds with how tired she was from a long work week, and her answer is still no. He then starts to say how he “never asks for anything” and “this is really important to him” – laying the guilt on thick. She starts to break down after his peer pressure and tears well up in her eyes. Carley asked Bryan for a minute while she thought about it. Bryan went upstairs feeling terrible that he was pushing her limits even though the intention was good for their wedding proposal. He text his brother that he thinks she is starting to break and to hold on for instruction.

Carly then comes upstairs and cracks a little smile. She tells him just to listen, she says she had a rough week, is really tired, and doesn’t want to go hiking. She then says that she will go hiking though, just because she loves him, but that she doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. She then went upstairs to get ready and asked him to leave her alone until they go because she was very annoyed.

Bryan text Mychal immediately and told him it’s on and to meet them at the top. When they got to the mountain Carley was still not talking to Bryan at this point. They got out of their Uber, which they took to avoid having to find parking, and started to hike. She immediately puts on her headphones. Bryan looks at her and she cracks a half smile saying “I love you, but I don’t have to like you right now”.

They get about 10-15 minutes from the top and she says, “I’m done”. Bryan starts trying to convince her that they’re almost there. She’s like, “no, I’m done, I’m not going further, you can hike to the top by yourself if you want”.

He starts panicking because Mychal is at the top waiting for them. Bryan pretends that he is looking at his phone for something and instead sends a text to Mychal, “just head down to us, she’s done hiking, gonna propose right here I guess.”

He turns around and asks her to take a picture with him, she says, “Why? We didn’t even make it to the top.” He eventually convinces her to just do it and they take a selfie together. He then gives her his phone to look at the picture they just took, but he instead put it on the first of eight pictures he had edited of them, adding little messages to each one that lead up to a “will you marry me?” message. At first she had no reaction and thought it was just a trick to get back on her good side. After the third picture it started to click for her and she started freaking out.

He got down on one knee (in front of all these hikers walking past them) and asked her to marry him. She cried, they kissed, she apologized for being a “cranky pants”, and the hikers of Camelback all cheered. Moments later his brother Mychal pops his head up over a rock and says, “anyone need some bubbly?” with some little bottles of champagne.

The Wedding:

Carley and Bryan wanted a classic yet simple wedding and they nailed it perfectly. The white, black, and gold is so timeless and will never go out of style. The stunning white rose bouquets were such a great contrast to the bold black bridesmaid dresses. The black and white tuxes the guys wore paired perfectly with the ladies. The reception was pulled together perfectly with white floral arrangements, gold chargers, and stringed lights. Everything made for such a perfect day for the two of them. To top it off? A personal firework show for them and their guests to end the night. The dance floor was packed all night and the smile never left their faces. We love you Carley and Bryan! Thank you for allowing us to be apart of your special day!

My Top Three Must Have Vendors | Arizona Vendors

Hi there! Hope you’ve been spending the new year with good company and big goals. We’ve missed you over here. We have had many big changes and we’re ready for a new year with consistent blogging, incredible weddings, and loving couples. We are already up to over 50 weddings and still booking for this season! So if you were one of those lucky gals or guys that got engaged over the holidays, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Trust me, I know all about popular wedding dates. I am a recent bride and have been married for almost three months now! November 11, 2017 is when I tied the knot and getting vendors booked for this day seemed to be tricky. (I mean we did choose, 11.11.. what were we thinking?) So that is why I am sharing with you today, our top three vendors that were a must have and that we booked first! Are you recently engaged? Get to booking these vendors because they get busy, quick! If you have your eye on a specific vendor, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Want to check out my wedding and vendors at the gorgeous Paseo? Click here!

When my husband and I got engaged, we sat down and prioritized our budget and determined what was most important to us. We put a lot of thought into this. We thought about after the fairy tale day and we determined that the film and photos is what you will have to look back on for the rest of your lives together. Easily our top two choices were a videographer and photographer. These were the two people that would capture our day for us to look back on. We will get to reminiscence about our day with our children, grandchildren, and maybe even great grandchildren one day.

We got a lot of questions from family and friends, asking why a videographer was so important to us? A lot of them would say things like, “I haven’t watched my wedding video since the day we got it” or “It’s not that exciting to watch anyways, why spend the money on it?” Well first off, wedding videos aren’t like they used to be. They are films now, a full on gorgeous production of your day. Good bye to the wedding videos of just a long ceremony, first dance, and bad audio. These are hand crafted films of an overview of your entire day from getting ready with your girl friends, interviews of you and your fiance, to the first time he see’s you in your wedding gown, the ceremony, your first dance, and the party that ends the night!

When deciding we didn’t even think twice about booking a videographer. When you really think about it, if you don’t have a videographer there who is going to capture your personal vows and they way you say them to each other on your wedding day? The toasts from your very best friends? The emotion and way he looks at you during your first look? You can never get those words, the emotion, and the sound behind them without a videographer there to capture it.

Now we needed one more vendor. This also came pretty easy to us. I am naturally very OCD and Type A. Having someone that could handle our day with the same vision as us was very important. I kept thinking to myself, do I want to spend the one day of my life marrying my best friend worried about where the florist will place the florals on the arch? How the table seating arrangements will get done? And how my bridal party will make it down the aisle flawlessly? No! I didn’t want to worry about one bit of it.

For us a Day Of Coordinator, was the perfect choice. I have had a lot of experience with weddings by working with Serendipity and planning with Pinterest made it super fun. (I mean how did anyone plan a wedding before it!?) I also purchased an Erin Condren planner to help me pace out when everything needed to be completed. But man oh man, is a Coordinator worth it! Planning a wedding is a ton of work. I give all the props to the Planners out there making these magical weddings happen!

There you have it! My top three vendor must haves. Do you have a top three? Comment below and let me know about them!

A Wedding Film is Worth the Investment:

First off, congrats to all the newly engaged couples out there! This is such an exciting time in your lives, and we hope you enjoy every minute of it! As you start looking for vendors and budgeting out your wedding, we wanted to give you a little incite as to why a wedding film is so worth the investment!

A Wedding Film is the first thing cut from the wedding budget, yet the number one regret a couple has after a wedding if they decided not to get one. The very thought of a couple not having a wedding film to document their wedding day makes us beyond sad. So many moments and memories lost, so here is our pitch! Take what you like and leave the rest!

1. Who is at your wedding sadly may not be here ten years from now. Over our ten years in business we have had 7 couples lose someone unexpectedly after the wedding. For many of those couples, their wedding day was the last time they ever saw that person and heard their voice. Can you even imagine not hearing your mom’s words to you as she zipped you into your dress? Or your dad’s toast to you on your wedding day? Or what your groom says to you the moment he first sees you in your dress? Lost, lost, and lost if you opt out of a wedding film. We hate to be morbid, but it is a truth. Document the say… No matter the curve balls life throws us you will be so glad to have a video record of those who were with you that day.

2. Of course you are going to have a Photographer on your wedding day. But Photos and a Wedding Film go hand in hand. A Photographer will give you snapshots of moments. We will give you the sound and motion from those moments. Together we are your memory team giving you multiple facets and angles of the day. We have never had a couple say to us that they had too many memories of their wedding day. As soon as people find out what we do for a living, inevitably the ones who didn’t have a cinematographer at their wedding always say to us, “That was our biggest regret.. I so wish we had a wedding film. We decided against it and I wish we hadn’t.” I have never had someone say to me, “I wish we didn’t invest in a wedding film.” Even if it wasn’t a great film, they are still glad they have it.

3. The day goes beyond super fast. The morning after your wedding you will discuss with your spouse how amazing it was and you will both agree that it went by lightening fast. And if you decided to invest in a wedding film you will have a sense of peace in knowing that you have that memory forever, but also that you will soon get to re-live that day when the film is finished. We will show you in your film, parts of the day, that you never knew existed. You will get to see your day from a completely different angle. You will get to re-live it like it is brand new again and that is priceless.

4. You will want this memory if you decide to have a family. While it may not be on the radar now, having a family might be in the picture one day and you will regret deeply not being able to share the day of your wedding with your future children. They will want to see what life was like before they came along. A wedding film is such a special memory to share with them.

5. In this day and age with all of the technology it just makes sense. Wedding films can now be easily shared with family and friends. You want those that attended and those that couldn’t to be able to share in the memories, still be able to through your wedding film. Wedding films are nothing like they used to be, they are high quality productions now. They are a customized story of your wedding day, fabulous, and a must have in your wedding budget.

Blush and Sage Wedding at Paradise Valley Country Club | Videographer Phoenix

How They Met:

Sydney and Tanner met in Aspen, Co through mutual friends.

The Proposal:

It was a total surprise and very romantic. The special moment took place on the beach where Tanner grew up, in San Diego.

The Wedding:

This wedding was so pretty, and we loved so many parts of it, we are not even sure where to start!

Sydney and Tanner were married at the beautiful Paradise Valley Country Club. PVCC is nestled deep in the heart of Paradise Valley. The grounds are surrounded by the iconic Camelback Mountain to the south, Phoenix Mountain Preserve to the west and McDowell Mountains to the east creating a picturesque backdrop for a wedding.

Sydney and Tanner did a great job of using the beauty of the venue and bringing in natural decor to really set the stage for the perfect day. A color palette of blush, sage, neutral tones and wood decor made everything stunning.

We love the bridesmaid’s dresses and the fact that no one is even close to being the same. However, they all coordinate so perfectly together. It looks like each girl was able to pick something that she felt comfortable in and they blend so well together. Sydney’s dress is so classic! The simple satin A-line gown and stunning see-through neckline gives the dress a modern and elegant twist.

The reception was outdoor and picturesque. We loved how the decor was both romantic, rustic and classic all at the same time. The mix of floral, and wood really made it feel warm and inviting as well! We like how they had both floral runners going down the tables, as well as candles sitting on pedestals. The mix in height adds pretty texture to the area.

How They Met:

Some say it’s fate that brought them together. Samantha and Anthony said it was the alphabet! They met in dental school. Her last name starts with ‘BO’ and his starts with ‘BR’ so they sat right next to each other.

Anthony told Samantha the morning of, to pack three things – 1 nice outfit, 1 casual outfit, and 1 relaxing outfit. He then brought her to the Fairmont in Pittsburgh (which happens to be her favorite hotel out there).

When they got to the hotel he told her to change into a robe and the happy couple walked down to the spa where they enjoyed a couples massage. When they returned to their room, there was champagne and fresh fruit waiting for us.

Next, they got dressed in their ‘nice outfits’ and Anthony took Samantha to one of the Pittsburgh inclines (which she had never been on). They rode up the incline and he had reservations at Altius (which had been voted one of the top restaurants in the U.S. with a panoramic view of Pittsburgh). Anthony asked Samantha to marry him before dessert came.

Not only did the couple do a first look with each other, which is very popular right now, but they each did a first look with a parent. Samantha with her father and Anthony with his mom. This might be the cutest thing ever, and a perfect way to enjoy a few precious moments with your parents before the day starts to get crazy.

Samantha is stunning in her dress. We love the way it fits her, and all the illusion back paired with parts of the front having an illusion as well. We also are pretty obsessed with the color pallet of the bridesmaids and floral decor. It’s a perfect mix of neutrals desert earthy tones, grayish blues, grayish pinks, grayish purples, cacti colors that is so romantic and classic.

Raw Footage

We get asked all of the time from couples if they can have the Raw Footage from their wedding day. The short answer is no, and you should see the look on the couples face. It is as if we just told them their wedding dress was ugly. However, we want to take the time to tell you why. We promise we are not trying to be mean, keep precious memories from you or even hold it hostage for more money from you. The answer is because you don’t need it, let us explain.

Years ago before cinematic wedding films became the norm a videographer would show up at your event with a giant camera and record the entire day from beginning to end. Then they would deliver tapes of 10 hours of video footage of every single second of your wedding day. Those were the days before editing.

Somehow the idea though, that Raw Footage was absolutely necessary as a deliverable stuck. We are here to tell you that the Raw Footage is no longer necessary. Wedding Films have evolved. Nowadays wedding films are creative and cinematic edits that summarize the wedding day.

That being said, when we film a wedding we no longer film the entire day in full. We only film what we know we are going to use. We will say it again, We only film what we know we are going to use. Our videographers are shooting in HD so the files sizes are huge and we quite frankly don’t want to film every single second of the day for space purposes as well as editing purposes. It’s just too darn much footage to sort through. Since we know we are summarizing your wedding day, filming every single second is just not necessary anymore.

Before you start thinking there is a mountain of memories on the cutting room floor, to compensate for not having that Raw Footage most companies will offer Documentary Style Edits of the most important parts of the day. What that means is that on top of the Wedding Movie Trailer and Feature Film we will edit for you your Ceremony, Toasts, and First Dances. Most couples see those as the most important parts of the day so we film those and edit them in their entirety.

What we always tell our couples is that if something doesn’t make an appearance in the Wedding Movie Trailer, Feature Film or Documentary Style Films there is a reason why. To be clear though, ANYTHING of value is going to show up in one of those 3 places, we will be sure of it.

Raw Footage has become fluff. And when it is offered to couples in packages or as an add-on it is painted as this extremely necessary and valuable piece of their wedding day when it is pretty much what they already have.

The Raw Footage includes the shaky shots, poorly colored shots, and practice shots. We just don’t see the value of this. Again revisiting the size of the files most couples don’t even have the software to open the files or know what to do with them once they do get them open. Not to mention who is actually going to watch 10 hours of footage.

And finally not offering the Raw Footage is a brand management thing for us. The best representation of our brand is always going to be our edited films. With how easy it is to upload videos online these days we never want to run the risk of our Raw Footage getting out there and someone posting a practice clip and claiming that “this is how Serendipity shoots a wedding film”.

In summary Raw Footage is not what you think it is. If there is something of value we will be sure that you have it. We want you to have as many memories of your wedding day as possible. But we also want you to have the best viewing experience and the best experience is always going to be watching an edited film.

How They Met:

Anna and Brent met through a college friend Anna’s who as luck would have it, also went to high school with Brent. Brent saw Anna in a Facebook picture and said to the mutual friend (Taylor) “Who is this Anna Shangraw and does she want to get married?”. Sounds like love at first site right? (Get it?)

Once the two become Facebook friends. They started sending each other messages, texts, and Skype dates for 5 months without ever having met one another in person. For them, it was the perfect way to get to know each other. They took this time to learn of one another’s upbringing, family, passions, likes, dislikes. In the midst of extremely busy schedules, we were there for one another.

After a few failed rendezvous attempts that were mostly the result of nerves, they finally met in person in October, and by January of the following year, they were officially dating.

The Proposal:

On February 27, 2016, on one of the most beautiful days Brent had ever seen on Crissy Field, with the Golden Gate Bridge, family, and friends as our backdrop, he proposed. Family and friends drove and flew into surprise Anna after the engagement. They all celebrated with food and champagne! Brent says that once he found Anna, he knew with all certainty that she was the one he wanted by his side for the rest of his life.

The Wedding

Anna and Brent were married on a beautiful April day at the stunning Paradise Valley Country Club venue. Their day was perfectly put together with a gold and white color pallet that is just so classic and on trend.

We love all of the personal and unique things that Anna and Brent did for their wedding that really made it special. From the Beer Burro to the champagne glass table assignments, and who could forget the donut bar.

It’s clear these two just adore each other and have so much fun together. We can’t wait to see where the rest of their story unfolds.

How They Met:
Kate and Trevor have known each other since high school. They went separate ways school and funny enough Kate even dated Trevor’s brother for a bit. Years after that and going through some hard years these two found themselves living in the same town and connected as friends. It was only a few years later that things turned into more and now they are getting married with the love and support from their families!

The Proposal:
Kate and Trevor went to Deadwood SD for his birthday in October. Unfortunately, on the drive there, Trevor broke down and told Kate he had planned to propose that weekend but when he went to the hiding spot he put the ring at the family farm it was gone, someone stole it!

Never fear! A few weeks later on a beautiful day in November they went hiking at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in ND. Trevor let the anticipation build and waited until the very end, getting some enjoyment out of the torture until he got on one knee and asked Kate to marry him.

The Wedding:
The first thing we noticed about this beautiful wedding was the stunning magenta floral they chose to use. The rest of the color palette is beautiful greens and natural tones, so adding this bright pink color is breathtaking and beautiful!

There were so many unique and fun elements to this wedding that made it very personal. One of our favorites was their spin on the unity candle or sand ceremony. They instead together planted a cactus together, each adding their own soil. So awesome!

The happy couple was married at the gorgeous El Chorro venue and had a beautiful outdoor reception. We also love that this couple has a good heart. Instead of wedding favors, they choose to donate to a charity that they are involved in with their pastor. What an awesome idea.

How they Met:

Misty and David were introduced to one another through mutual friends and they had a whirlwind relationship. It was a relationship that started by writing to each other online. By the time they met in person they had an instant connection and sparks flew. It is almost a year to date from the time they met, to the time they got married. They say when you know, you know. They have both waited for the right person to come along, and are so happy to have met their soulmate.

The Wedding:

Misty and David were married at the stunning venue, The Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain. If you are looking for a romantic and garden like wedding, this is the venue for you. It has breathtaking mountain top views that make it the perfect setting for a wedding.

The floral that Misty and David choose is just the perfect complement to this venue. A mix of blush, mauve, peach, and ivory are just to die for mixed with the lush green of the trees and grass. Since the floral is colorful, but in a soft way, we love that they went with black colors for the bridal party. The ladies are dressed in stunning black gowns that are adorned in the prettiest sequin pattern.

Misty’s dress is so perfect. It is, of course, a ball gown made for a princess. We love the detailed beading on the bodice with sleeves, paired with the simple satin skirt that just flows and is so flattering. Did we mention that it has pockets? We don’t think it gets better than that.

Did you happen to see the cake? Its a 5 tier beauty that we are sure tastes just as good as it looks! With simple and classic gold detail, along with matching floral, that was used throughout the wedding, its perfect.

How They Met:

Jenna and Matt met at work. Matt was in his mid 20’s, single, and career focused. One day, the company plopped down a young female intern at his desk from Arizona State. Being from Omaha and an alum of ASU, Matt’s company thought he would be a good person to show her the ropes. Turns out they were right….a little too right.

The two started hanging out toward the end of the summer of Jenna’s intern year, and pretty quickly, it was time for her to head back to ASU. They stayed in touch and even visited each other a few times, but ultimately lost touch due to being at different places in their lives.

Jenna heard so many good things about the Omaha winters that she decided to come move to Nebraska and work full time at the same place. The two have been dating pretty much ever since.

The Proposal:

Matt was pretty convinced about their relationship for a while, he just needed to get the ring. He got the ring in September, but waited until Thanksgiving to pop the question so ensure family and friends were around to celebrate the news.

The dilemma for Matt when it came to pop the question was on how to fit this ridiculously sized ring box in his jeans pants. Matt may or may not be known for wearing slim fit (or as some say very tight) jeans.

He came up with idea to stuff the box into his cowboy boots. These are the same cowboy boots that Jenna despises with a passion, and makes it known every time he wears them. For a visual, the boots are pretty awesome and have American flags on them and everything.

Jenna and Matt decided to hop on ASU’s campus to get some new ASU swag for the football game the next day. They walked around for a little while and finally, while they were in front of a historical building on campus, Matt told her to stop for a minute because he thought he had a rock in his boot – which actually pissed her off even more (#1 he was wearing the boots and now #2 they are slowing them down).

The rock Matt pulled out was not the rock she expected, and after a few seconds of shock, she agreed that it would be in Matt’s best interests if he married her.